The Zabini Test
by luckintheair04
Summary: Did I really want to stop finding out if the girl I was dating reliable or not? All those morons I had tried, had flounced off to Blaise with just one glance. So we devised a plan. I meet a girl; plan a date at the muggle café where Blaise will "coincidently" pass by. I introduce him to the girl and watch how she deals with Blaise's 'irresistible' charm. That was the Zabini Test.


_**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does. And I also do not own the picture. It is NOT my creation.**_

**_Hey, this is something that I came up with in the spur of a moment and I thought I'll just type it out. It's nothing fancy but I hope you'll like it._**

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**_The Zabini Test_**

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"Hey, who's this, Draco?"

We're sitting in furthermost corner table, from prying eyes at the café. It's one of those private tables where couples usually come and snog in. I didn't intend to do that yet. I watch her carefully as she turns around from her seat and watch the familiar way her eyes freeze on his face and her lips part a bit as her breath hitches. The same reaction my previous dates responded with, whenever they saw Blaise Zabini at the muggle café I hated.

Fiona was still gawking at Blaise who was giving that blasted smile which attracted any girl's attention. I fake a grin and introduce Fiona to Blaise and Blaise to Fiona.

"Oh, you went with Draco to Hogwarts?" Fiona gush, her face going all red with delight. I felt like puking. Unfortunately I hadn't brought that sick bag I had the last time.

Clearly this girl wasn't for me.

Maybe I should just start from the beginning. I'm Draco Malfoy—yes, that ex-Death Eater, Ferret, Slytherin prince, Potter's enemy, whatever you call me. It's been two years since the Dark Lord had being pathetically taken down by the How-Would-This-World-Be-Without-Our-Hero Potter. I had to go through a bunch of hearings because the bloody ministry couldn't make up their minds whether to chuck me in Azkaban or not, since I hadn't killed anyone. Ultimately, Potter just had that need to stick his nose in and give his testimony on how I hadn't given his identity at the Malfoy Manor when the Heroic Trio had being captured. Not that I'm complaining, actually, although I did have to do a bit of 'community service' because the ministry wasn't letting me go just like that, with my arms swinging free.

Mother got off Azkaban too since she had apparently lied to the Dark Lord in some twisted situation. That too, was given by Potter's word. Talk about the Gryffindor Nobility. But father wasn't that lucky. We still visit him a couple of times in Azkaban.

Anyway, as discouraging as it sounds, I'm no good looking bloke. I've a pointy face, and a deathly pale complexion. Dull grey eyes and pale blonde hair, which from afar makes me look like I've grown old. I'd say my best feature is my lips. People say I have my mother's smile (which is pretty nice, if you had the luck in seeing it), which is useless because I see no bloody point in smiling these days. So when I left Hogwarts my self esteem was pretty low and getting a girls attention was bit hard, unless they were Pansy Parkinson.

*Shudder*

But when I do, here's the problem. Ever since Crabbe was killed with that stupid fiend fire stunt, Goyle just stopped talking to me. He started blaming me and just cut off whatever the 'friendship' we had. Nott just vanished off from the face of the earth. So I hung out with Blaise.

Blaise's a great guy, no kidding. He still has that wicked Slytherin humour which the others had gotten rid of, ever since Potter defeated the Dark Lord. But you know what the problem is with Blaise?

He tends to attract all those girls I finally manage to get them agree to a date with me. Ellen was an amazing girl I met when I started working at Ollivander's. (Yeah, I know. Ironic. He actually forgave me.) Ollivander not only supply new wands but also repairs them, if it's possible or sell cleaning kits too. So there were a fair amount of ladies coming in. So Ellen and I got to know each other and she actually liked me. Since mom was desperate about getting me to socialize, I went for her. We arranged a date at the muggle café in London by the station. And coincidently, Bloody Blaise was there.

I felt like crucio-ing Blaise when Ellen started talking to him as if I never existed. Soon the ungrateful woman was saying "I'm so sorry, Draco. I've lot of work to do these days." Lot's of work, my arse. More like going on dates with Blaise. At first I was pissed off with him. Because a month later, when I got another date, she fell for Blaise too. It's like Blaise throws an invisibility cloak like Potter's on me whenever he meets one of my dates. Poof, I'm invisible, just like that.

Well, why shouldn't it be? Blaise has some kind of look every girl fall for. Some weird crooked smile that make them blush. And some way he looks at them which trap them in his gaze. A face with perfect ratio and proportion. No pointy awkward edges or white hair.

Generally speaking, Blaise looked a whole lot better than me.

And he has the better job too. Somehow he managed to get a freaking spot in the ministry, even though he has to work with the She-Weasel. Yet he's one lucky bloke.

I hated his guts for some time because he always showed up whenever a girl talked to me. It was like he wanted me single or something. Probably wanted me to die forever alone? I dunno. He had every thing he wanted. What the hell was wrong with him? Couldn't he just let me have one single girl to look at _me_, instead of him?

But one night, he came to my apartment and had a nerve to tell that none of those girls were good enough for me. At first I thought he had clearly lost it when he knew pretty well that I would murder him if he dared stand even six feet from me. Then he explained tiredly.

"You can't really expect them to stick with you if they go running around your best friend within less than a minute, do you mate? Stop blaming me, man. Blame them. I just simply walk in and say hi."

And I thought about it the rest of the night. Because he was right. He didn't even make an effort to flirt or say that my date was beautiful. Did I really want to stop finding out if the girl I was dating reliable or not? All those morons I had tried had flounced off to Blaise with just one glance.

The more I thought, the more I realized how Blaise was helping me. So we devised a plan. I meet a girl; plan a date at the muggle café where Blaise will "coincidently" pass by. I introduce him to the girl and watch how she deals with Blaise's 'irresistible' charm. That was the Zabini test.

Right now, Fiona was failing it miserably.

I watched her flirt and I couldn't help roll my eyes when Blaise chuckled at something which was frankly stupid. Clearly he had the pleasing affect on the ladies because he pretended as if they were the most delightful thing next to Quiddich.

I cleared my throat. Fiona didn't give a glance. "I'll go get more coffee." I say. Fiona's still mesmerized. Blaise gives a slight nod, and I see that he seems a bit stuck with Fiona's chatter of her life story. Seriously, who cares? Well, he'll get himself out of it. Am I thankful that I didn't get her. "Thanks." I mouth to him behind Fiona and he glares at me. I chuckle and head off to the counter.

I order another coffee and lean on the counter as I watch Blaise and Fiona get up, probably Blaise offering her to apparate her home like some icky gentlemen. I couldn't help snort. After paying, I grab my cup of steaming coffee and walk towards my table as I watch Fiona drape herself around Blaise. Geesh.

There was only one person as far as I knew who didn't get charmed by Blaise and that was She-Weasel. He always got ranted from her, whatever puppy eyed excuse he tried. Blaise tried hooking me up with her but I knew that wasn't a good idea because she was a bloody Weasley and I didn't want a reason for Potter to put me in to Azkaban.

Suddenly some klutz bumps in to me. Hard.

_Note to self_: Never, ever, ever bump in to some one while you're about to take a tiny sip off your freaking boiling coffee. Because it hurts. A LOT.

The coffee splashed on my nose, eyes, jaw, lips, tongue and on my chest. And a huge stinging pain irrupted. "AAAAARRRRGGGGGGHHH." I cry like some lunatic in the middle of the café. I bet a whole bunch of people are staring at me as if I'm some freak show. I keep my coffee on some random table.

"Oh m-my gosh! I'm so sorry!" A female voice stutters.

Right, sorry. As if that was gonna help me from the burning pain. I close my eyes with pain as I swear. Loudly. I hear some people gasp. Well, screw them.

"Sir, may I help you?" a scared voice squeaks form my left.

"I'm fine." I growl as I open my eyes. Tears gush out. How pathetic. I look at the young woman in front of me, looking helpless. My vision is sort of blurred with the tears.

"Are you alright?" She asks timidly. Could people be this thick? Ignorant little muggles.

"Well, why don't you go, dump your coffee in your face and see if it feels alright?" I snap. The bloody woman had almost burned me to death. Bloody hell, what if my face is deformed?

"Whoa, wait." The woman says with disbelief. "Malfoy?"

Huh? Don't tell me this clumsy head is a witch. Merlin, kill me now. I grab a random napkin from a table and wipe my face, eyes and chin, ignoring the stinging on my face. I look at the person in front of me properly.

Granger.

Of all people.

At first it had being hard recognizing her, what with her hair tied behind in some huge bun; the missing wild hair was significant. To be frank she looked just the same from last time I had seen her. Probably looked less bony, but nevertheless, same old brown bushy hair, upturned nose and tiny freckles. She would still have passed as a school girl if she wanted to. She looked tiny, with all that bags and files in her arms.

"Granger." I growl. "Bloody hell, I'm gonna kill you. Where the hell were you looking?" I seethe, a new anger taking over me since this was the Mudblood, not some random muggle.

"Merlin, I'm sorry. You should've watched where you're going." She lowered her voice. I make my way to the table, gingerly taking my coffee back. I glare around the room so that people would quit looking at me. Ha, my glare works.

"Oh, it's my fault, is it? Why the hell didn't you watch where _you_ were going? Had your nose in a book again? You never change, huh?" I couldn't help sneer. It was just too natural to sneer and make fun of her, even after two years.

"Shut up, Malfoy. Oh Merlin. Your face….." Granger gasp as I sit.

"What? What is it? Is the skin peeling off? Shit! I swear if anything has happened to my—Arrgh!" I cry out when my finger touched my lips. It feels weird. Damn, coffee can be hazardous.

"Gosh, I feel bad. Your skin must be really sensitive to react like that. Hold on, I'll fix it."

"No, you will do nothing. Just leave." But that stubborn witch had already gone towards the counter. I groan. I hope she gets herself a coffee and pour it on herself as I had suggested. My face's still stinging and my nice blue shirt which I had worn in hope of impressing Fiona was stained. Shit. One of my best shirts.

Grangers back and she has this little bottle and a damp paper towel in her hand.

"You're lucky that I'm a Healer." She smirks as she sits next to me.

"Piss off, Granger. Don't touch me. I'm warning you." I edge away from her.

"I'd love not to, but I'm taking responsibility for what I did. And I'm obeying my Healer's Oath." She says primly.

"Your what?"

She sighs and starts reciting. "I hereby promise to fulfill my responsibilities in using what I have learned on magical beings by helping—"

"Look, I don't care. Go away."

"Your deformity might get permanent."

"My _what_?"

"Your face is getting all shriveled —"

"Well, I'll go to St. Mungos then."

"Okay. They'd charge you though."

Charge me? And Granger was doing it for free because of her conscience. I really didn't want to waste money on petty things, ever since the ministry asked for monthly donations from me to let me free.

"Fine, do it then." I say exasperated. "Make it quick. What is that bottle?"

"It's a tonic but it also works on burns." She dips the stuff on the paper towel.

"No wonder you're prepared. Had being planning to burn me then, have you?" I scowl.

"I'm always prepared, it happened to be luck that I bumped into you." She snaps. Geesh. One uptight lady. Surprisingly her dabs of the tonic on my jaw are gentle despite the expression on her face. At least she wasn't _touching_ me.

And this was the moment when Blaise decided to come back. When he came to the view of the table he froze, looking from Granger to me.

"Another one?" he mouths at me, clearly thinking that I had found another date. I glare at him. Seeing me glare, Granger turns to look around. She sees Blaise and her expression gets even stonier.

"Whoa, Granger?" Blaise sputters like an idiot when he recognized.

"Hello, Zabini. Apparently you guys had been having a Slytherin reunion." Granger says simply, dabbing my lip now. I wince.

Blaise is still staring from her to me, especially at me for along time, probably because of my face.

"Slytherin had more than two people, Granger, in case you were ignorant." I snap.

"Not anymore. Lots of them went abroad. It happens that it's just you two from your batch who're in Britain." How the hell did she know this stuff?

"Potter still keeping track on us? What is he, jobless?" I sneer.

She does a violent jab on my jaw. I hiss. "No, he isn't. Percy is working in the Immigration and Emigration of Wizards Office now. He keeps track of people, especially Slytherins." She gives this evil eye. "And YOU, Malfoy should be more respectful towards Harry when he bailed that sorry arse of yours from Azkaban." She snaps and I realize that this time she is extremely pissed off. I scowl at her and clench my fist. I badly wanted to wack her lights out.

"Draco, man. What the hell happened? Your face…" Blaise say as he sits opposite me, probably trying to distract me from my murderous thoughts.

"Granger launched herself at me when I was carrying my coffee."

"I did not launch myself at you. You were staring off in space and bumped in to me." She snaps and she starts taking the buttons off my shirt.

"Merlin! What the hell do you think are doing?" I push her filthy hands away.

"Your chest, Malfoy, might have got burned." She says slowly as if I was someone who wasn't capable of understanding anything simple. She actually spoke like one of those Healers I went to.

"Get the hell off. You're not gonna undress me in public, Mudblood." Her face stays the same, not a sign that the offensive word I've just thrown at her had affected her.

"No, I'm not going to undress you. Don't be childish Malfoy. You don't want any infections, do you? No one can really see us here if that's what you're worried about."

I grunt something unintelligently and take the first few buttons off in defeat. Blaise face looks like he had just run in to a window pane. I look down at my chest and there's a horrid mark just below the collar bone. Granger gently applies the tonic. A moan catches on my throat as she continues stroking that area. Damn, it feels good. I look at her and I see her blush. I couldn't help raise an eyebrow. Granger, blushing at me? That's a first.

"Are you done now?" my voice come a bit husky than intended.

"Thankfully, yes. Put it back on."

"You sure?" I ask arrogantly.

Her eyes glint. "Sod off Malfoy." She snaps as she stands up and heads off to the counter.

"Bloody hell. I pity whoever the bloke's stuck with her. Well, other than Weasley." Blaise say.

"I pity her patients."

"You okay? You look like you got a bad tan halfway."

I scowl and show him the finger and go back to my thoughts. My face still stung and I wanted revenge on Granger so badly. And my chest was tingling. I have no idea what kind of stuff she had put.

"She doesn't seem to have changed much, has she?" Blaise asks.

"Shut up. I'm trying to think of something to get back at her."

"You're still thinking like a school boy, mate. You don't want her to get worked up. She still might be vicious like in third year." I spy a hint of amusement in his voice. I grit my teeth at the faint memory of her slapping me. "Anyway, Fiona sucks. You wouldn't want her."

"I kinda figure that one out by myself. How did you get rid of her?"

"I said my _girlfriend_ was waiting for me but that didn't work. So I ended up confounding her." Blaise smirked.

I grinned. "That bad, huh?"

"Malfoy."

I jump at her voice. Granger had come back.

"It's done. Go wash your face." She commands as she takes a seat. "And your chest."

"Well, you don't have to hog here then. You can leave." I say rudely.

"As much as I'd love to, I have to make sure that your face results the desired effects." Her voice sounds tired.

"_Your_ desired effects or mine?" Some how that question sounded wrong.

She smiles mysteriously and says "Mine."

I scowl at her and leave for the men's washroom, with people looking at me. Thankfully it's empty. I look in the mirror and cry out when I see the burn marks. I look even bad now. I have no chance with a girl anymore. I might as well give up. Cursing Granger, I splash water on my face and on my chest. I took my wand and mutter a quick "scorgify" at my shirt. It went a bit bad because I was angry at that miserable, good for nothing woman. I look at the mirror again. I then notice the red marks were kind of fading.

Wow, it actually worked.

I head back to that corner table, where I see Blaise talking with Granger and she's smiling. Blaise should know better than to flirt with the Mudblood. I fume. He says something and she laughs. Oh, that must have been so funny. Clearly Granger wasn't immune to Blaise's charm either. And then again who is? Oh, yeah. The Weaslette; who I'd rather strangle myself than date her.

"How's this? Is this your desired effect?" I ask.

Granger and Blaise look up. "Wow, Granger. Not bad. You haven't lost your touch, have you?" Blaise remarks like an idiot as I take the seat next to him. Granger giggles. Gosh, she actually fell for it.

"How is it that he was actually in Slytherin and is your friend, Malfoy? He seems far too nice." Granger says as she turns to me.

"We have our ways Granger. We can be nice if we wanted to. And besides how would you know Blaise isn't pulling your leg?"

"True." Granger says simply. I didn't expect her to agree with me. I expected her to defend Blaise like other girls would have done. She gets up and walks towards me. "Let's see. Tell me if it hurts." She bends down and touches my eyebrow. I feel something jolt between the touch.

I pull away. Shit, she touched me. "Don't touch me."

"What?"

"You'll get filth on my—"

"Bloody hell, Draco!"

She called me by my name.

Huh.

And she swore too.

Wow.

"Grow up! Are you still living in Hogwarts? _No_, you're more mature than that." She scolds, sort of reminding me of my mother when I used to be nine or ten.

I swear under my breath, but let her carry on. She leans and touches my eyebrow. It takes all my will power to not to stare at her chest when she bent down. So I focus on her face and looking closely she doesn't actually look bad.

"Does it hurt?"

"No." I grunt.

"Now?" She asks as she presses her fingers on my jaw. Her touch is gentle. I stare at her.

"No." I look at her eyes and notice they aren't plain brown. It was more complicated than that.

"So Granger, you busy tonight?" Blaise asks.

"No, not really." She says not giving a glance at Blaise as she presses her finger on my lower lip. She blushes slightly and asks if it hurts.

"No." I murmur, and I have a feeling that I'm blushing too.

She presses her hand on my chest and I can't help the little gasp. "What? Does it hurt?" She asks sharply.

"No." I whisper and I'm feeling weird.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Well, then this is my desired effect." She says straightening up, her eyes locked to mine. Then she snaps out of it and walks back to her seat. I give a half hearted grunt in reply but I'm still watching her. I know she felt whatever I felt.

"So, Draco. I have to get going. Got some work to do." Blaise says and he turns to Granger. "Would you like me to escort you to where ever you're going?"

I watch her with intense, hoping she would say no. I see her eyes flick in to Blaise's crooked smile. And I spy something else too. She looked sort of uncomfortable. And I see her eyes flick in to mine.

"Uh, no. I'm not leaving just yet. Thank you anyway." She says.

"Okay." Blaise shrugs. "See you later, mate." I watch him leave.

Granger collects her stuff which she had dumped on the table.

"I thought you said you weren't leaving?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh—umm, I said that so I could avoid him. I think he was going to ask me out." She says looking away.

"That's a first. Usually girls do anything to be with him."

"Well, I'm not—"

"—a girl?" I ask amused.

She rolls her eyes. "No. I'm not his type. And he's not mine." That surprises me. "Besides I know he finds it a game. He knows that he's good looking and can get a girls attention. I don't really intend to be one of _them_."

"So you haven't got a teenage crush on him?"

"No." She says looking amused. "And I think it's a bit too late for teenage crushes. After all we aren't teenagers anymore." She says that last bit a bit sadly.

"Granger, what did you come here for?" I ask a bit curiously.

"To get a bit of a break." She admits. "But I don't really feel like it now."

I glance at the forgotten coffee on my table. I guess it's safe to drink it now. "Why did you do that? Why were you so eager to heal me?" I gesture her to sit. She does.

"I'm a heale—"

"Aw, c'mon, Granger. You know you could have just walked off."

"Well, I take my job seriously and I don't intend to leave anyone who could use my help."

"Even me?"

"Even you."

"After all that happened?"

"I'm not going to hang around in the past. And….."

"What?"

She chuckles. "You're not gonna like what I'm going to say."

"I don't really like you anyway, so go on."

She didn't get offended. "I feel sorry for you." Then she quickly starts to explain. "You were good in studies, you were talented but your destiny was made before you were born. If you had to make your choices, I think you would have been in a different state."

I look at her hard, feeling angry at myself. "Sucks to be me." I finally say. Because what she was saying were the same things that ran through my mind everyday. What if father hadn't being a Death Eater? What if I hadn't being fed all those ideas by my family? Things would have been so much more different. Every body knew that in one point of my life I would join my father and aunt. And now I had to work in that dusty store, instead of being a Quiddich star that I had dreamt to be.

"Where's your ego?" she asks curiously, titling her head sideways.

"Dead."

"How come?"

"Living in a time where all of your classmates are successful except you, sort of makes you go pretty low." I say bitterly taking a sip from my cold coffee.

She doesn't say anything to this. Then her brows furrow. "What are you doing in a muggle café?"

"I had a date." I scowl at the thought of Fiona.

"With Blaise?"

I sigh. "No. Some girl. She just ran off with Blaise after she met him."

Granger snorts unattractively. I couldn't hold back the smile that came to my lips. "Is that why you're low in self-esteem all of a sudden?"

"One of the reason."

"He isn't that good looking you know."

"Sure."

"He has a nose that looks like a hook, turned upwards of course. If it was downwards it would look like Snape's." She muttered.

I grin. True.

"Look, I think I'd better be going." Granger says hurriedly. She gets up and stops in front of me and stares at me. I look back at her, and I somehow feel shy for no reason.

"If you feel an itch, wash your face. Don't scratch." She advises and leaves with a slight smile. I smirk and she blushes before turning away and leaves.

Granger had passed the Zabini test.

I get up and run after her, trying to make up something in my head to convince her that I'm not pulling her leg when I ask her out.

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**_Well, it's a bit too fast for a kiss, but when it'll happen, that's for you to decide. Thanks for reading. Please make my day by typing a review right below!_**


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